DRIVING on the uneven and dusty road to school daily has been a normal routine for teachers and staff of the Real Schools’ Cahaya campus in Section U9, Shah Alam.
For more than a year, the road in front of their school was being used by cement mixers and lorries carrying construction material to a site not far from the school.
The Jalan Merah Saga U9/5, which was once used only by those going to the school and residents living nearby, had since been filled with potholes and stones which had fallen from the trucks passing by.
Real Education Group communication executive Jason Teo said it was like driving on an off-road area.
He added that the heavy vehicles also used the road during peak hours, giving parents and residents a nightmare.
A tight squeeze: Parents waiting to pick up their children have to squeeze their way through with trucks and cement mixers. “We have asked the developer to not use the road between 2.40pm and 4pm until school is over,” he said, adding that cement spillage from the trucks had also hardened thus making certain stretches uneven.
However, the lorries continue to use the road during those hours and often causing congestion.
To make matters worse, the canteen tables and chairs are covered with dust from the passing lorries.
“Our students who need to attend sports practice have no choice but to bear with the air pollution,” said Teo.
Initially, the school had expected the developer to use trucks with high-pressure water jets to clean the road in front of the school at the end of each day to prevent the area from being dusty.
Since July 2010, the school authorities have met the developers on several occasions to air their grievances, however, no agreement had been reached.
The only immediate measure taken by the developer was to patch-up the potholes.
Teo said the school had requested the developer not to use the road between 7.30am and 8.30am as well as between 2.40pm and 4pm.
“Traffic flow, especially after school hours in the afternoon, needs to be free from heavy trucks to enable parents to pick up their children in a safe environment,” he said.
They had also asked for a site staff to be stationed near the school’s main gate and another to clear the stones and cement spillage from the trucks passing by the area frequently.
The school also hoped the developer would resurface the road. Teo said the matter had also been forwarded to the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) and the local authority had promised to repair the road within a week but had since failed to do so.
He said the school was using its own funds to patch-up the potholes but with the rainy weather and the presence of heavy vehicles had made the task a tough one.
Recently, about 300 parents and teachers signed a petition against the developer.
When contacted, MBSA public relations officer Shahrin Ahmad said they were aware of the issue and would conduct a follow up with both the developer and the school soon.
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